The Welsh Crown
by nedjheret
Summary: A lost soul, friendless, untrusted, and without family, suddenly finds the treasures life has denied him since birth. Wizarding Britain suddenly finds itself at risk of complete dissolution. And an Ancient and Noble House rather abruptly comes out of hiding and obscurity to produce it's final chance to confirm it's own destiny ...
1. Chapter 1:In Lovegood's Possession

Disclaimer: All persons, places, and concepts you recognize are, quite obviously, not mine. All I can claim is Cerridwen.

a/n We're in for a long ride. Pack your satchel with undetectable extension charms, wear comfortable footwear, and remember to rinse out your socks.

IN LOVEGOOD'S POSSESSION

26 May, 1993 - The Rookery

The upstairs bedroom, furnished in eye-watering colours, bristled with a manic brand of energy. Two young women, girls really, tinkered with a rudimentary home Potions set-up. One such young woman, twelve years of age, had long, flowing blonde hair, silvery eyes, and a disconcertingly absent expression on her softly pleasant face. This girl's name was Luna. The other, small for her age, with deep-black (nearly blue in the light) hair dandling between the shoulderblades in soft curls, strangely black eyes, and exceedingly pale skin covering her fae features, added one last anti-clockwise half-stir to the experimental smoky blue potion. Laying aside the clear glass rod, she hesitantly picked up her English Oak wand as the younger girl gasped.

"Cerridwen ... you must heed me ... hear me ..."

Cerridwen looked to her foster-sister in something approximating alarm. Her hand began shaking, accidentally disturbing the contents of the cauldron, sending a lilac-scented puff of smoke to the ceiling. Her "sister" spoke in a ringing, bell-like lilt that would have sounded more at home in Cerridwen's own birthplace of Holyhead, Wales.

Luna Lovegood spoke her Prophesy ...

"The Feather'd Serpent will be saved by the Temple of the Prince

And the Throne will seat a new King

Else magic flee from the Isle of Knut, former host to Rome.

Hadrian's Kin shall rule when comes the Restored Black Prince

As His Chosen Ministers bring back to Balance the Day and Night.

The Feather'd Serpent will be saved by the Temple of the Prince

And Londinium will be Reborn ..."

Luna's eyes almost began to gleam, just in time for her pupils to blow out in dilation, matching Cerridwen's already damaged irises. Both girls dropped to the floor as a sickly green foam began oozing slowly from both of their slackened mouths.

The room began glowing with a soft lavender light as soft, feminine laughter filled the air. Cerridwen Goron, orphan, the last of her House, shimmered softly and slowly disappeared from the room. Indeed, she disappeared entirely from The Rookery, 26 May, 1993, precisely at 9:13 in the morning, just as she would have legally turned 17.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Hogwarts

WELCOME TO HOGWARTS

26 May, 1977, Hogwarts Infirmary

Cerridwen had definitive proof she was still quite alive. For instance, she noted she was emitting a sweet, floral perfume from what seemed every pore in her body. It was almost overwhelming, and she suspected it filled whatever room she was currently in. Cracking one eye open cautiously, she lifted one hand in front of her face and noted a fading turquoise glow from her skin. Her other hand surreptitiously found her wand in it's hidden pocket at her left side. She calmed a bit internally knowing she at least had her bespoke Oak wand for protection against the unknown. Flicking her gaze from side to side in the sunlit room, she noted what appeared to be some sort of medical infirmary, complete with a witch in some simple variety of Healer's robes standing near a trolley, an elderly wizard with oddly twinkling eyes and garish robes next to her bed, and a striking witch in elegant tartan robes sitting stiffly in a wooden chair, all of them looking at her with a great deal of curiousity. She never saw the pale, dark-haired boy peering at her from around a curtained bed. As she cleared her throat to speak, all 3 of her "visitors" snapped sharply to attention.

"Where am I? Who ...," she coughed, "Who are you? What happened?"

The old man smiled at her with an odd expression of mixed approval and amusement, while the witch in tartan clasped her hands together gently in her lap. the Healer bustled forward with a tray bearing 2 potions, a pitcher, and a glass of water with fat droplets of condensation rolling down the side. Plonking the tray on a bedside table, the witch nodded sharply and began to speak while casting diagnostic charms over her body.

"First, my dear, you'd be best served by taking these potions to keep some measure of health in you, small as you are, followed by that glass of water. Go on, dear, best drink up while they're fresh and cold ..."

Cerridwen brought the bottles from the table to the little breakfast tray the Healer conjured for her, popped the tops off of each in contemplation as she scanned the faces around her. She debated Occluding briefly before rejecting the idea outright. Some extra sense of self-preservation told her that blatantly trying to keep too much information to herself might make at least the wizard wary, which would likely make it harder for her to get the valuable information and sense of trust she needed from these people. With a soft sigh, she fluttered a hand to conjure a clean glass, pleased to find a silver goblet in it's place, poured the Strengthening Solution and and Calming Drought into said goblet, and drank deeply to erase the taste as quickly as possible. She chuckled softly to herself as her observers seemed to be slightly taken aback at her easy use of a non-verbal, wandless spell. The Healer stifled a small gasp as the elders looked sharply to each other and began speaking again.

"My name is Madam Pomphrey, Matron of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You've heard of Hogwarts, yes?" she asked, garnering a quick nod of assent from Cerridwen. She continued with a smile, gesturing to the witch to her left. "This is Professor McGonagall, she teaches Transfiguration, and is our Deputy Headmistress ..."

At this point, the wizard stepped forward and interrupted Madam Pomphrey. "I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts ... among other titles that won't likely interest you at this time. Perhaps you could be so kind as to tell us your name, child. I imagine we have a great deal to discuss, yes?"

The petite fairy-like witch blinked slightly, and considered her situation and best course of action. Judging by fabrics, hair styles, and other simple clues, she figured quickly to likely be sometime between the years 1968 and 1981, but it was hard to be certain. 'Perhaps I can weasel out the proper date somehow. Wouldn't do to be too open to strangers, and at Hogwarts to boot.' Sighing carefully to project an air of weariness, she spoke in the softest voice she could muster.

"My came is Cerridwen Goron, from Wales. If my guess on the date is still correct, today's my 17th birthday, or something rather like it. May 26? I'm ..." She paused and forced her expression to look lost, hoping for voluntary data from her current crop of company. She was rewarded quickly by the Headmaster speaking with a soft smile.

"Yes, Cerridwen, it is May 26. May 26 of 1977, and you were found just inside the gates, quite asleep, and quite sound. I must say, that's really quite the achievement. One cannot merely Apparate onto the Grounds or within the castle, after all, and no-one opened the gates to admit you. It's really quite the mystery, I must say. Still. According to Poppy's diagnostics and your infusion of potions, it's quite clear you've managed to arrive quite healthy, and quite stylishly. Most astonishing my girl!"

Against her will, Cerridwen found her eyes widening slightly in surprise. 1977? She's somehow managed to travel 16 years, and from England to Scotland to boot, and entirely without harm! This didn't sound right, at all. The Headmaster beamed at her reassuringly, and patted her hand. "And, of course, you'll need to be Sorted if you're to remain in the castle. It's one of our little traditions, you see. From the times of the Founders."

Cerridwen felt a small frisson of alarm at mention of the Founders. Her knowledge of one in particular was a great deal more thorough than most would be able to boast. Not to mention, she'd never had a Sorting, as her branch of the family never enrolled at Hogwarts. They had been living in obscurity from most of the world for centuries, and with good cause!


	3. Chapter 3: Lost Souls

LOST SOULS

Pale, lanky, dark-haired and usually sullen, the hidden boy crept backwards slowly as he considered the situation as he knew it. Gossip had been bandied about the castle for several hours regarding the "mystery girl" who'd appeared unconscious near Hogwarts' Gates that morning, but due to the ever-efficient channels in Slytherin House, he'd overheard the news within 10 minutes of the strangely-dressed, quite diminutive witch. Severus stroked his lower lip in thought. Here was an unknown, pretty slip of a thing in the Infirmary, in a clearly uncertain situation, and for once, it seemed he'd get the drop on everyone else. Thanks to the banes of his existence, the Marauders, he was currently the only student to get near enough to Cerridwen to see her face, hear her name, or hear her speak a single word.

Waiting about 5 minutes for the majority of the staff to leave the Infirmary, overhearing part of the discussion over how to handle her unprecedented Sorting, he cautiously slid back under the sheets of his cot. He closed his eyes and evened his breathing just in time for Madam Pomphrey to assume he was sleeping before she followed Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster out of the Hospital Wing. He'd never even heard for certain if they'd said a proper farewell to Cerridwen ..

After a few moments of internal debate, he slid back out of the narrow bed and walked over to Cerridwen, checking for other intruders and casting privacy spells, a repellent spell, and Muffliato at the doors. Interruptions may prove to be something less than conducive to a proper and private conversation. Hearing her shift around on her own cot, he peered around the privacy curtain, kept his face as open and friendly as he was capable, cleared his throat, and stuck his hand out in greeting before he addressed her in soft, silken tones as he approached her.

"Good afternoon. I overheard the Headmaster welcome you to Hogwarts, as well as a small amount of information about you, and wanted greatly to be the first young face you saw to be my own before someone else had the opportunity to capture your ... attention. I'm Severus, Severus Snape, a sixth year much like I imagine the Headmaster will attempt to ... convince you, that you might also be. Might I inquire as to your name? Or perhaps your prospective House within Hogwarts, if you presume to guess?" Inwardly, he was cheering. The tiny little witch's eyes had lit up at mention of his name, and he noted a soft blush to her cheeks to boot. Unconsciously projecting an expression of warmth in his own eyes, he lowered his face slightly and gazed at her from under thick, lowered lashes and a curtain of shoulder-length, somewhat oily, black hair. 'Merlin, she's a natural beauty, without a doubt! She looked just like a perfect little china doll!' Long, thickly-curling hair framed delicate features, perfectly-arched eyebrows, lashes that matched his own, and big, black, almond-shaped eyes filled with sharp intelligence. Her long hair drew his eyes downward, noting curls draped over her left shoulder, falling slightly below and partly obscuring soft-looking, somewhat lush breasts. Sudden heat flushed his cheeks as his eyes drifted over the remainder of her form. 'Bloody hell, she was more physically appealing than Bellatrix Black.' He envisioned her in green and couldn't help the raised eyebrow and large smile he impulsively gave her.

His eyes snapped up to gaze at a lovely mouth just as he heard her soft, sweet-sounding lilt answer him. "I'm Cerridwen Goron. Most of my recent family's been home-schooled and privately tutored in ... well, I suppose a bit of everything, really. Family legend says about 4 generations ago, nearly all of us were Slytherin, or Ravenclaw. Ehm ... we're somewhat closely related to the Prince family, with a nice unhealthy dollop of Black." She broke off and seemed to be scrutinizing him as thoroughly as he'd appraised her. She sat up tighter on the cot and reached for his hand, gently touching his fingertips with a shy smile. "What does the green on your robes mean? Is it for Slytherin? I rather like the look of the colour on you ..." Her eyes shot up to his and he heard her breath hitch slightly as she withdrew her hand slowly.

Severus's eyes went wide. 'Circe, the little coquette was some variety of relative! Hopefully not too closely related.' He filed the information away for later as he realized ... she was the only family he had left! "For Merlin's sake, witch, tell the bloody Hat you're a Slytherin! We're the ones in green. And I can tell you, right now, I think we're going to need to talk about a few things. Extensively. I think you must be some sort of cousin ... my only family actually, except for my mother ..."

She drew back slightly with some sort of unreadable expression on her face. She looked somewhat between excited and worried. He wondered what it meant, precisely, and tried to look deeper with a whisper. "Legilimens ..." But all he saw was a coastline, a brief flash of what looked to possibly be the Goron Family Tree, and then an idealized vision of himself. Superimposed over a shadowy version of ... himself ... but older? He was shunted out rather gently for a forced invasion on someone who should have been too young to be an accomplished Occlumens.

With strangely merry eyes and a soft smile, she shook her head at him in mild reproach. "Now, now, Severus, my mind is my own. You can't expect me to give you all my secrets, or I'd lose any beguiling mystery for you. And I certainly don't want that. And ... I've not been so sheltered and lonely at home to just let anyone know me so well. It's quite rude of you to insist, and not so lady-like if I just gave in to you so easily. The family solicitor's to formalize the papers of my betrothal soon, you see ..."

He cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at her and frowning as he snapped off a retort. "It's certainly unbecoming behaviour for a young lady to flirt without shame with a wizard she's known for ... bare minutes ... if she's to be betrothed." He leant forward and sneered at her. "Even an uncouth, uneducated, and untouched Slytherin would know some things shouldn't be bartered cheaply, up to and including ... her attentions ..."

With a bright laugh, Cerridwen continued with a light tone as if she a hadn't heard him. "I could, of course, tell you who he is, if your masculine dignity is offended. If you think he should know ..." Her face didn't betray her nervousness, or the fact that she felt sadness and regret for his feeling resentment towards her.

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her coldly. That laughter was most unwelcome, and he felt wronged in principle. She'd wounded his pride; he'd lash out and bloody her with the sharp side of his tongue. "Who? Who is it, then, that's to be saddled with a common tart? Hmm? Give me his name, and which noble House is to be brought low with your ... undignified ... displays ..."

Cerridwen looked down for a moment with a soft smile. "He's a rather touchy sort. Compelling, absolutely arresting features. Lovely, long, and lean. And the last of his line. Severus Snape, the last, lost Prince. To wed Cerridwen Goron, the last of her line, the end of the Crown of Holyhead."


	4. Chapter 4: Research and Repercussions

A/N Disclaimer: Any intellectual property you might recognize, with the exception of Cerridwen Goron and her personal details, belong elsewhere. I intend to place disclaimers roughly every 3 chapters.

Also, there is a strong possibility these chapters will not be regularly posted.

-Nedj

RESEARCH AND REPERCUSSIONS

She felt a flash of ... something ... emanating from Severus, and shivered. Trying to cover her sudden discomfort, she straightened her eggplant robes into slightly more order, starting at her wrists and ending with a brisk twitch of the velvet hem covering her vastly impractical silk slippered feet. She looked up with easily discernible hesitation at his dirisive snort and felt a frisson of fear at his thunderous expression.

"Ha fucking ha. How very droll." He stalked towards her with a furious sneer. Looming over her, he placed a hand at either side of her head and fisted great hanks of curly hair, trapping her in place as she winced in pain, glowering directly into her eyes. "If you're quite done mocking me, my dear, perhaps you should know a bit more about the asp you've so ... unwisely ... twisted the tail of." His hands matched his words by twisting her hair tighter in his hands, bringing forth a whimper. "For six years, I've endured more torment than a conscionable population would ever allow. I've been mocked, ignored, beaten, hexed, jinxed, and frankly bullied by every manner of witch and wizard this ... fine institution ... has fit to bestow upon me. I've received death threats, foul insinuations, and actual attempts on my life by a batch of supercilious braggarts, bastards, and bullies. I'll not be further made a fool of by a whispy little ... fairy ... of a girl." He leaned forward to shade her face by his long, lank hair,stifling nearly all of the light in the room. Her breath stilled and stopped with a burn in her lungs as she realized ... what she thought she'd understood from the family records and Pensieves fell woefully short of fact. Terrified black eyes skittered between darkly gleaming, furious, and equally black eyes as she scrabbled for something to, hopefully, defuse some of the venom in his gaze. She found herself stammering horribly when she could finally speak.

"Severus, please ... Please! ... I'm not mocking you. It's the truth. I can't even begin to explain ... Please ..." Fat tears sprang up unbidden and slipped from the outer corners of her eyes, her head still held quite immobile in his grasping fingers.

A shaking breath escaped her slightly open mouth as she trembled. An expression of dark desire flashed over the face so close to her own, and her eyes flew wide as she was suffused with a rush of shocked arousal. "Dear gods ... what's wrong with me? What do I do?!' She whispered cautiously ... "Legilimize me, Severus, let me show you. Please. Please, believe me ..."

He nodded in satisfied approval, then leaned forward to close the last little bit of space between them, and connected his lips lightly to her own as he murmured the spell against her skin.

With the unexpected contact, vivid images and emotions began filtering through her mind. Her eyes closed with the strange, tingling intimacy of this caress of a kiss combined by his presence in her thoughts ...

Ancient papyrus with heiroglyphs that shifted from meaningless to readable script, dictating the terms and stipulations of their combined bloodlines' detailed marriage contracts and laws of inheritance, guides for countless future generations of descendants. A golden mist flashes into existence as some hidden higher being briefly caresses the document. The mist fades into a fall of golden waterdrops, touching the writing and making it glow in turn, placing an indelible Binding on the page. A new vision, coming faster ... A large Egyptian fleet. A grand Egyptian barque in the colours of royalty, decorated in jeweled Egyptian asp cobras, edges the shore of what would become known as Wales, as smaller boats approach land. Servants begin preparing the shoreline as an impressive wizard looking much like Severus gazes indolently over his new nation ... More marriage contracts are signed and witnessed by later generations of Prince and Goron descendants, all gleaming brightly as the inks stain their scrolls ... A blur of images now, all burned into their memories ... Flashes of prophesy being uttered by John Dee, another of their common ancestors ... Family trees twisting, merging ever tighter together like Devil's Snare ... The document outlining the betrothal of Lethe Prince, who they both know looked exactly like Cerridwen, and Owain Goron ... The marriage certificate of Nerys and Emyr Goron, cousins just far enough removed to be acceptable for marriage ... The sudden death of her paternal Aunt Pandora, known as Panda before her marriage and given the surname Lovegood after ... Their own betrothal parchments of fine green stationary and gilded edging, being signed by Eileen Snape, nee Prince, and Emyr Goron in their childrens' names ... Cerridwen's own wand, held by her 8-year-old hand, touching the contract as the glow flares and fades ... Cerridwen and Luna, calendar visible on the wall behind, peering over their cauldron while adding a sprinkle of lilac buds ... Lilac-scented and coloured smoke as Cerridwen shimmers and slowly disappears ... Cerridwen laying fast asleep, peaceful, just inside Hogwarts' gates and wards ... And a vision of the future - Severus, staring blindly into the distance from the Astronomy Tower, holding a bottle of Old Ogden's and looking entirely bleak ...

Soft pressure felt on her lips as they both relaxed into the kiss. Her hand fluttered up to gently touch the back of his head, eliciting a soft sigh from Severus as he began nipping at her lower lip. Quite without conscious intent, a low moan escaped her throat as she flicked the tip of her tongue against his teeth to soothe the little bite and to explore. With a shocked hiss, he pulled away gently ... Both of them touched their mouths in sudden confusion.

She swallowed with a shaky breath as she began to speak again in a quavering voice. "We need more information. We need ..." She hesitated, but was reassured the next moment as they both spoke in tandem.

"The Library ..."


	5. Chapter 5: Of Bindings and Bondings: The

OF BINDINGS AND BINDINGS: THE CODEX OF MAGICAL LINEAGE

Cerridwen had no recollection whatsoever as to how they'd reached the Library. Lost entirely in thought, she'd subconsciously brought her left hand to Severus' right sleeve, worrying the fabric between thumb and forefinger as she was pulled along in his wake. Had the corridors or stairs been occupied, anyone passing would have caught Severus glancing at her with a thoughtful expression, and seen her utterly oblivious to her surroundings. As Severus quietly opened the door, Cerridwen seemed to come out of her reverie.

The room appeared to have well over 100 rows of bookcases arranged neatly and attractively around a multitude of large, leaded-glass windows letting in the light of a day that looked to potentially turn from fine and warm to violently stormy. She studied the brass plaques at the ends of each case and finally saw the closed-off Restricted Section, noting the complete absence of any other people, including the Librarian. Severus simply observed her actions while keeping her delicate, white fingers in his peripheral view, still resting on his arm. Clearly unaccustomed to benign contact from much of anyone, his face was kept cautiously neutral as he quietly observed the unfamiliar emotions roiling through his lanky frame.

Cerridwen's hand slowly brushed down his arm as she stepped forward to the clearly delineated Restricted Section; her voice seemed far away. "I think what we need is in there," she gestured. "The book we'll be looking for should be bound in Opaleye skin with gilded lettering ... Very large ... It may even be hidden ... My mother said someday I'd need to go looking for it, but seeing as I was only about 6 years old at the time and our family hadn't attended Hogwarts since about 1500, she made it clear I wasn't to expect to actually see it for myself." She paused slightly and turned to look at her companion, keeping her eyes lowered, feeling somewhat wrong-footed and nervous.

"You need to understand, I never had access to other people my own age. All I had was my parents, a parade of highly vetted witch tutors, and the grounds I was raised on. Everything I've been taught came from experts in their chosen specialties, massive libraries, and Pensieve memories dating back from when the family first came north from Egypt. Nobody knows me except a cousin and her father, and in this time, in 1977, my cousin hasn't even been born yet." His eyes darted to hers in surprise. She continued on. "Every person who taught me, ever person that wasn't family that I'd ever met, has been Obliviated. There isn't a soul left in the world that knows me right now, except you ..."

Trembling suffused her limbs. She knew quite well she wasn't supposed to have spoken so much as a vague hint of her issues with time, nor was she to tell anything about her home, but an intense feeling of loneliness filled her, and she felt compelled to essentially lay her soul bare before Severus. Severus ... who she knew she was intended to wed some day.

"I don't know what to do. Everything I've been told about family legend was intended only to educate the living, residential members." Slow tears made tracks down her face; she could see trepidation, unease, and disbelief in his eye the longer she spoke, the more she hesitated. Her right hand slowly reached for Severus, and she held her breath, hoping she wouldn't be summarily rejected out of hand by this unpredictable, angry man she was eventually to marry. Hope and fear warred for dominant position in her eyes as her hand connected with his. Threading her fingers through the fingers of his left hand, she took an odd sort of strength from the simple contact, and the fact that he made no move to pull away from her.

Tugging him along in entreaty, she backed her way into the door to the Restricted Section.


	6. Chapter 6: REVEAL YOUR SECRETS: PAINFUL

a/n I'm afraid updates from here on out will be rather sporadic. My brain's gone on a tangent, filling in background and thinking up "what if" situations. Fortunately, they all seem to be working on Crown details, so at least it's being useful

Nedj

REVEAL YOUR SECRETS: PAINFUL DISCLOSURE

He felt himself being pulled along like the tides of a cliffside beach. Severus watched her left hand extend behind her as she sought the door. He heard her gasp sharply; eyes widening in horror, he had a quick glimpse of the blackness of her irises bleeding away to show constricted pupils, revealing ocean-blue eyes before they rolled back in her head. Without so much as thinking, he yanked on her right arm, pulling her close as she sank to the floor with a heart-wrenching groan of agony.

Tugging her up in his arms, he quickly forced them through the doors to the Restricted Section. Closing the door tightly behind himself, he slid down to the floor with her still held in his arms, slightly in shock. Severus arranged her limbs gently into a position of greater comfort for them both, her head lolling in the cradle of his left elbow, legs draped over him with her feet nestled together on the floor near his knees. He looked into her face, seeing her eyelids clenched tightly shut, her mouth slightly open but still vaguely pursed in pain. The index and middle fingers of his right hand inched forward to press lightly into her brows. Her tight lids slackened a bit, apparently in relief, as a low moan escaped her lips. 'A migraine. How does one get a migraine from merely touching a door? Thinking quickly, he ran mental diagnostics, trying to discern whether it was some sort of curse on the handle, or perhaps a potion some "prankster" had doused it with. Absolutely nothing was revealed, though some secret corner of his mind noted something of interest. Though he knew intellectually her facial expression was caused by pain, he saw clearly how close it looked to an expression of passion. His heart started thumping wildly as his fingers began to shake.

Concentrating with narrow focus on a far-off wall, his head thumped back on the door as he struggled to bring himself back into control. 'It's no good, old boy. It's not desire, it's agony you're seeing on her face, think of something else! Come on, man .. this isn't the time to think like a randy old sod .. There we go .. Calm ..' He thought back to the moment she touched the worn brass, and realized .. her eyes are blue. Blue, and grey, and green, swirling like undersea currents, blending from one colour to the next. Now, what would cause her to appear to have black eyes? Eyes looking just as his own? Ahh, she'd been given an over-abundance of belladonna. But he'd been talking to her, walking through the castle, and it had been something like two hours from their initial introduction until her collapse. Belladonna didn't last so long normally .. Without realizing he was doing so, he pulled her torso and head closer to him and began absent- mindedly stroking her face with the backs of his fingers.

Petal-smooth eyelids. Silky cheeks. Pillow-soft lips. His eyes drifted back down to her face, noting with pleasure that she appeared to be experiencing less pain. He felt her lips move slightly beneath his fingers, and turned his hand to feel the exhalation, motion, and vague vibration under his fingertips. A rush of unexpected tenderness flooded through his veins, realizing it was his ministrations and presence which soothed her, and now, for the first time, he was genuinely trusted and valued by someone, even if it was this confounding, fey little near-stranger. Tension he hadn't even realized he'd been holding in his neck, back, and shoulders left his body in a sigh of gratitude. He sincerely hoped he didn't push this odd, sweet girl away, like he had .. like Lily. He frowned slightly and slumped lower against the door, causing Cerridwen's head to angle a bit more towards his own. Again, without really making a conscious decision to do so, he lowered his face to Cerridwen's upturned face and softly brushed her lips with his own. A low thrum of peace and pleasure coursed through him at this gentlest, most tender contact he'd ever felt, and a small amount of the resentment he still held for Lily's unforgiving actions fled.

As his eyes closed, their combined skills in Legilimancy flared to life, without eye contact, without incantation, leaving them both closer to the other, the beginnings of an indelible life-bond forming between them.


End file.
